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The currant crop is ready for picking a fortnight before the 

 Muscats, and the same trays answer for drying both crops, so that 

 the advantage of growing them together is evident. 



There are several ways of ascertaining whether the crop is 

 fully ripe : 



(i.) By the colour, which, in the case of the Muscatel G-ordo 

 Blanco, should be a bright amber, and also by the taste. (2.) By 

 the saccharometer, which gives more accurate indications, as a 

 bunch grown in the shade may be ripe and yet colourless. It is 

 reckoned that the juice of the grape should contain at least 25 per 

 cent, of grape sugar to produce a good raisin. 



Pieces of stalks, dead leaves, and imperfectly ripe berries, which 

 would dry brown instead of a bright colour, are removed. 



Dipping. The ripe grapes are usually packed in osier baskets. 

 The baskets should not be piled on the top of each other, nor 

 should their contents be dumped on to the ground. They are 

 brought to the dipping tank and draining terrace where the grapes 

 are placed in galvanised iron baskets or sieves ; at least two such 

 baskets are required, which are lowered into the dip and filled 

 alternately. The lye tank may consist of any convenient open 

 boiler, such as a washing boiler, or even a 200 or 400 gallon square 

 iron tank cut in half and set in mortar over a fireplace. 



The strength of the lye used varies. The stronger the lye the 

 shorter the time the fruit is dipped. 



In Spain and the Mediterranean raisin-producing countries, the 

 lye used is made from the ashes which are got from the vine 

 prunings ; to these a proportion of powdered quicklime varying 

 from one-fifth to one-fourth is added, and the mixture passed 

 through a sieve. To this water is added in proportion shown by 

 practice; the. liquid is heated and preserved in air-tight vessels. 



A more accurate method of preparing the lye consists in using 

 alkalies of known strength in solution in water. Thus, lib. 

 caustic potash or caustic soda to 15 gallons of water is often used, 

 although some make a stronger lye and only add to lib. of the 

 alkali 7 to 8 gallons of water, claiming that fruit quickly dipped 

 retains a brighter colour when dried. 



The strength of the lye having been settled, the solution is 

 brought nearly to the boil, and all scum floating on the surface 

 is skimmed off. Some of the least ripe grapes are then dipped for 

 two or three seconds into the boiling liquid, and the result of the 

 dip ascertained a few minutes later. The object of dipping is to 

 make the drying process more active by dissolving or saponifying 

 the waxy covering which constitutes the bloom, and opening up the 

 pores on the skin, thereby allowing the quicker evaporation of the 

 juices of the fruit. If as a result of the test on these more tender 

 berries numerous small holes like pin-pricks show, the length of 

 the dipping is sufficient, whilst, on the other hand, should the skin 



